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Cancer Monopoly (Archive.)

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Misty L. Trepke
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

Cancer industry tour
http://www.sfbg.com/News/34/06/6other.html

By Judy Brady
WE'VE JUST SURVIVED another year's National Breast Cancer Awareness
Month (NBCAM), the chemical/pharmaceutical-industry public relations
program designed to direct our attention away from what is really
happening.

The Toxic Links Coalition, an alliance of Bay Area cancer activists
and environmental justice organizations, is turning NBCAM on its
head by renaming October Cancer Industry Awareness Month, which we
commemorate with the annual Cancer Industry Tour of San Francisco's
Financial District.

The truth about cancer is out. The vast majority of breast cancers
(and other cancers, as well as numerous other diseases) are linked
to the proliferation of chemical and nuclear contaminants in the
environment. The response of polluting industries to this growing
body of evidence has been the creation of NBCAM to divert public
attention from their dirty practices. The unremitting message is
that the answer to the breast cancer epidemic lies in getting a
mammogram and raising more money for cancer research. Nary
a word is said about why we are getting sick and dying in increasing
numbers.

The inspiration for NBCAM came from Zeneca when it was a subsidiary
of the British company Imperial Chemical Industries. Since its
inception, NBCAM has been controlled by the now independent and
renamed AstraZeneca, an agricultural chemical/pharmaceutical
corporation that has become a permanent partner in the cancer
establishment. NBCAM's board includes representatives
from the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and
several medical societies. AstraZeneca boasts that it has spent
millions of dollars on NBCAM publicity; in return it retains the
right to approve or veto every poster, pamphlet, or advertisement
issued under the aegis of NBCAM.

AstraZeneca is the third largest producer of pesticides in the United
States, with annual sales in the billions. It is also the leading
producer of tamoxifen, the most widely prescribed drug for breast
cancer. A few years back, AstraZeneca completed a takeover of Salick
Health Care centers, which treat cancer patients. So AstraZeneca,
the wizard behind the NBCAM screen, is first contributing to the
increase in breast cancer, then profiting from its treatment with
cancer drugs, and finally wrapping up the whole package
neatly (in pink ribbons?) by controlling cancer care centers.

Other companies have been quick to jump on the gravy train, and pink
ribbons are everywhere. A few years ago the Wall Street Journal ran
a story with the headline "Linking Products to Breast-Cancer Fight
Helps Firms Bond with Their Customers." "Companies are finding out,"
the article continued, "that the pink ribbon, symbol of breast-
cancer awareness patterned after the red AIDS ribbon, can help them
connect with female customers." The list of companies dedicated to
the "fight against breast cancer" grows longer every year.

Lining up behind the big money are some breast cancer organizations,
such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which hosts the annual Race
for the Cure in major U.S. cities every October. It's not surprising
that the Komen Foundation has received financial support from
organizations like the Chlorine Chemistry Council (trade association
of the chlorine chemical industry). This year Bristol-Myers Squibb
and Occidental Chemical Corporation were listed as sponsors. For the
past several years the Komen Foundation has raised a few extra
millions from a partnership with BMW in a nationwide program called
Drive for the Cure. No one is talking about the suspected link
between breast cancer and benzo(a)pyrene, a byproduct of
automobile exhaust.

The National Cancer Institute predicted in 1994 that not long after
the turn of the millennium, cancer will overtake heart disease as
the leading cause of death in this country. In the meantime, our
slim environmental regulations are being systematically dismantled
by an industry-friendly, pro-free trade government.

Taking back October as Cancer Industry Awareness Month just might
become the most effective grassroots effort to confront the NBCAM
disinformation campaign. During the sixth annual Cancer Industry
Tour, the week of Oct. 25, marchers paid noisy visits to the
corporate headquarters of various polluting industries. Many
participants wore a new button that portrayed the ubiquitous pink
ribbon, but with one end of the ribbon trailing down to form a noose.